New Era for an Old Broadsheet

Now begins a new chapter at the Vineyard Gazette, the newspaper of record for the Island since 1846 that was sold last week to philanthropists and seasonal residents Jerome and Nancy Kohlberg. There is much anticipation, excitement and interest, both inside the paper and out, over this moment and what it may mean for the future.

Property Value Reset

Falling property values are the quiet news of the day on the Vineyard, where assessors in every town are preparing revaluations. And while there has been no precipitous crash here and thankfully no foreclosure floods of the type that have been seen on the mainland, values have fallen significantly. This a direct reflection of a real estate market which is going through a significant correction amid ongoing reverberations from the economic recession.

If You Go to Sea

If you go to sea you really must know

What to do when the wind she blows.

If weather bodes toward a nasty gale

You must, beforehand, shorten sail.

As the gale comes on and it gets quite rough

Head up to weather but don’t let sails to luff.

It’s a good idea to use a drogue

To keep the vessel under good control.

If when quite rough and stomach is sour

Idyll Chatter

From Gazette editions of December, 1935:

It was thirty-five years ago that I wrote my first editorial for the Vineyard Gazette, an editorial so important that today no one remembers the message. The thoughts behind that editorial essay were of no particular significance, except perhaps to mark the beginning of a journalistic journey through a profoundly important period of Martha’s Vineyard history.

THE TAX MAN

Editors, Vineyard Gazette:

The front page article in Friday’s paper titled “Tisbury’s Taxes Sharply Higher” may have given the casual reader the impression that Tisbury’s taxes will be sharply higher. In fact, while our 2011 taxes will be higher, the 14.5 per cent increase cited in the article applies to the tax rate, not to our tax bills. In 2011, even if our tax bills were to stay exactly the same as in 2010, our tax rate would be seven per cent higher. How is this possible?